From the first time Matthew Stafford picked up a football, there was never any doubt about what he would do with it. He didn’t tuck the ball under his arm and run or drop-kick it across the yard at his family’s home.

The ball felt comfortable in the grip of his young hand. It felt like – well, like a quarterback gripping a football. It was no surprise that he did what came naturally. He threw it.

“I can’t remember the first time,” Stafford said during a break from a summer workout. “I just remember, we were playing in the back yard, and I was always the quarterback -- throwing it around, slinging it around.”

He’s never stopped throwing – through the back-yard games, youth leagues and high school in Dallas, a three-season college career at Georgia and three seasons with the Lions, where his breakout performance in 2011 has experts regarding him as one of the NFL’s great, young quarterback talents.

With the benefit of playing his first full season free of injury, Stafford’s statistics were among the best in NFL history: 41 TD passes and 5,038 passing yards, fifth-most in NFL history.

The roll call for the 5,000-yard club has an elite membership of four. Drew Brees has done it twice – a record 5,476 yards in 2011 and 5,069 in ’08. Next are Tom Brady, with 5,235 in 2011, Dan Marino with 5,084 in 1984 and Stafford.

Statistics are one measuring stick for quarterbacks, but they aren’t all that defines Stafford’s special talent that is unlike any other quarterback in Lions history. His throwing arm – the pure, natural ability to throw a football -- is what makes people predict that he’ll rise rapidly on the pecking order of his contemporaries.

Calvin Johnson, the Lions’ All-Pro wide receiver, said having Stafford as his quarterback was one reason he signed a long-term contract extension in March.

“Matt’s the hottest thing in it right now, I think,” Megatron said. “The kid has an arm. I see what he does every day in practice. I wouldn’t consider walking away from that. “It’s tough to get around a good quarterback -- especially one as good as he is.”

And Nate Burleson, the starting receiver opposite Johnson, said he learned early to be on the alert at all times because Stafford’s arm strength allows him to throw the ball through tight openings before a defender has time to react. Stafford has a cannon, and with laser sighting – with the versatility to it to make any throw necessary.

Stafford’s faith in his ability to deliver the ball in any situation at any time is apparent in this exchange during a summer interview:

Do you have complete faith that you can make any throw? “Yeah.”

You do, right? “Yeah.”

The one-word answers – “Yeah” – were instantaneous and firm, with no shrug or hesitation. Another question: does a play ever come in from offensive coordinator Scott Linehan that makes you wonder if you can make the tough throw required for the play to succeed?

“That never, ever, really crosses my mind,” Stafford said, again with no hesitation. “There are certain things you learn that are smart to do and not smart to do. But if a coach draws up a play in the dirt and says, ‘You’re going to have to throw it to this spot 50 yards down the field,’ I’m like, “OK, let’s go.’

“It’s not just trusting my arm. It’s trusting those guys (the receivers). “I think I can throw to any spot on the field -- sometimes to a fault.”

Stafford made his mark last season by leading the Lions to a 10-6 record and their first playoff appearance since 1999. He led late, clutch rallies in three road wins – at Dallas, Minnesota and Oakland.

One sequence of plays in the Lions’ 28-27 win at Oakland in Game 14 showed how Stafford can deliver the ball in a variety of ways. The game-winning drive covered 98 yards on seven plays and ended in Stafford’s 6-yard TD pass to Johnson with 39 seconds left.

A quarterback can’t always drop, set, pat the ball and deliver – especially with defenders shooting gaps and receivers making adjustments to coverage.

These three plays stood out in the drive:

•On first down from the Lions’ 18 and a hard rush coming from his left, Stafford winged a pass that Johnson caught just before he landed out of bounds on the left sideline. It was a 21-yard gain, but combined with his drop-back and throwing across the field, the ball probably covered at least 40 yards – and was on target where only Johnson could catch it.•Stafford and Johnson caught a little luck on a 48-yard looper down the middle, when Johnson reacted to the underthrown ball with two Raider defenders unable to cover him.•The game-winner. Johnson lined up to the right and cut left to the goalpost. Stafford backpedaled three quick steps and delivered a perfect pass off his back foot that Johnson caught chin-high near the back of the end zone. Linehan added an element that made the throw even better.“He was expecting Calvin to do something a little bit different,” Linehan said. “He was able to throw that ball without having to reset and throw it. Had he reset, it would have been late.”

Stafford is a quartergack prodigy who had the resources and opportunity to develop his rare skill. Handing him a football was like giving a guitar to Eric Clapton, a baseball to Justin Verlander or hockey skates to Nicklas Lidstrom.

Linehan is a career offensive coach who has spent 11 seasons in the NFL. He was head coach of the Rams from 2006-08 and came to the Lions in 2009 – the year they drafted Stafford first overall.

The moment the scouting process began before the 2009 draft, Stafford’s ability was apparent to the Lions.

“A lot of it was born,” Linehan said. “When he was able enough to pick up a football, I think he had it.

“He’s got natural, God-given talent. But he was blessed with some great training, from great parents, great coaches at a young age. Then he picked a great school in Georgia. “You match that all together, it’s the perfect storm.”

Stafford’s father, John, has a football background and worked with Matthew. One thing everyone was smart enough not to do was try to change his delivery.

“It was a God-given ability to throw --- to be a natural thrower,” Stafford said. “I’ve never taken a football lesson on how to throw. I’ve never been to a quarterback camp, anything like that.

“The biggest thing for me was to watch the best in the world and try to do it like them. I was always the kid not watching the game for fun. “I was watching the game to see how Troy Aikman threw it or how John Elway threw it or how Brett Favre threw it.

“I picked up a couple things on how they did it. That’s how I learned. That’s how I tried to do what I do.”

Throwing as he backpedals, or off his back foot, is probably a skill he hasn’t copied. For those who wonder why he does it, the answer seems obvious: because he can.

“That’s just natural,” Stafford said. “No coach is going to see that and go, ‘This is exactly how we want to do this.’

“That’s just how I play sometimes. It’s not always a perfect pocket. It’s not always perfect timing. You’ve got to be ready to adjust. That’s part of playing quarterback.”

A transforming moment for Stafford came in the eighth grade, when his parents sent him to a football camp at Florida State. It was a camp for players at all positions, not quarterback specific for some self-anointed guru to remake every kid’s throwing motion. On the first day of camp, Stafford was placed with his eighth-grade peers. After one day, the coaches gave Stafford a playing-field promotion.

“I’d never thrown a high-school ball in my life,” he said. “I was playing with a Pee-Wee ball. They put a high-school ball in my hands. After the first day, I was playing with the 10th- and 11th-grade group -- throwing to guys going to Florida State.

“We were on a full seven-on-seven drill. I’m in eighth grade, throwing it around. “That was one day I remember, thinking, ‘Maybe I’m kind of good at this.’” He was right.

Second of a three-part series. Next: Rating the top 10 quarterbacks – and where Stafford fits.

In one of the Lions’ darkest moments last season, Dominic Raiola looked at Matthew Stafford as he took charge of the Lions’ huddle and saw a man who was doing more than playing the role of quarterback.

Stafford was the man in charge, the leader who sent out vibes that he had command in a dire situation when the Lions’ playoff hopes had taken a nose dive.

It was Game 14 at Oakland, and Stafford led a rally from a 13-point deficit late in the fourth quarter to give the Lions’ a 28-27 victory. Raiola and his teammates were led by a quarterback who wasn’t swallowed up in a moment that was too big for him to handle in his young career.

In one of the key intangible categories that separate elite quarterbacks from the rest of the pack, Stafford put another check mark next to his name to go with all the physical categories that rate quarterbacks.

The Oakland game was one of those difficult days. Stafford faced – and passed – the most critical test of personal athletic adversity of his first three seasons as a Lion.

Stafford had been sacked and fumbled deep in the Lions’ territory midway through the fourth quarter. Aaron Curry ran the ball in for a touchdown and a 27-14 Raiders lead with 7:47 left. It was a dramatic change in momentum. One moment, the Lions were huddling up for a long drive to take the lead. In the next, they were down by two possessions, and most realistic fans were figuring out how the Lions could sneak into the playoffs on a tie-breaker with two games left.

Raiola, the Lions’ veteran center, recalled how Stafford left no doubt in the huddle about what he intended to do.

“He came in the huddle, looked at Calvin (Johnson) and said, ‘Let’s go,’” Raiola said.

And go they did – two straight TD drives for a 28-27 win. Stafford finished off a 98-yard drive with a 6-yard TD pass to Johnson with 39 seconds left to win the game. In a strange way, having the pressure ratcheted up by the fumble made the game more exciting for Stafford.

“There’s nothing like fumbling, having them score, then knowing, ‘OK, it’s on you, let’s go,’” Stafford said in an offseason interview.

Linehan has told the story of Stafford’s response when he asked him what he likes most about football. “Everything,” was Stafford’s answer.

His passion is hottest in the fourth quarter.

“The best part for me, just No. 1, is the competition,” Stafford said. “And No. 2, there’s nothing like the fourth quarter in a tight game. You know you’re going to have the ball in your hands the whole time. You’re going to be the guy making the decisions.

“You’re going to be the guy giving your teammates an opportunity to make plays. That’s the drug of playing quarterback. That’s what keeps you going. That’s the best part for me.”

The Oakland game was one of three the Lions won with scintillating rallies on the road. They won at Minnesota on a field goal in overtime that was set up by a long completion to Calvin Johnson. Johnson caught TD passes to beat Dallas and Oakland.

Stafford’s career arc accelerated last year in his third pro season, but statistics alone – 5,038 yards passing and 41 TDs – do not define a quarterback. Being comfortable in the role of team leader is vital.

“The great thing about him, nothing is ever about him,” Linehan said. “He does not get concerned with where he factors in with the top 100 players.

“He’s ready to take the next step of being a Pro-Bowler and all that. He’s motivated by all that, but it has not distracted him. He’s all about winning.

“I haven’t been around every quarterback, but I’m not sure you can say that about every quarterback.”

Raiola has seen a Stafford’s steady acceleration in the mental part of the game.

“You have knowledge of your offense, you have knowledge of the game,” Raiola said. “He has it all. You get in the huddle, he’s always reiterating what needs to happen on this play: ‘You get it, you have to go down right away. We only have 20 seconds.’ He’s saying all that.

“He knows everything that’s going on on the field. It’s not just knowing the offense. You can be book smart. You have to be street smart, too.”

Stafford’s demeanor in the huddle helps.

“When he speaks, it’s meaningful,” Raiola said. “It’s, ‘Uh, let’s see if we can do this.’ “He’s real direct in the huddle. He takes command of the huddle.”

Performance and production carry a lot of weight in any of my player ratings. I want players who produce and win games.

Past performance is also part of the equation and has a bearing in my ranking of the NFL’s top 12 quarterbacks. Royalty means something, which is why I give Peyton Manning a high rating despite missing all of last season.

My list has 12 quarterbacks for a reason. Twelve teams make the NFL playoffs, and I pick quarterbacks I consider capable of leading a team to the playoffs.

Here is my list of the top 12 quarterbacks. As always, feel free to disagree and share your opinion with me and others:

1. Tom Brady, Patriots: He’s one of the QB royals who still produces at a high level. He led an ordinary Patriots team to a 13-3 record and his fifth Super Bowl appearance last year, and he threw for 5,235 yards and 39 TDs. He’s the best of his era and deserves No. 1 on my list.

2. Aaron Rodgers, Packers: Great quarterback, great future, great performance in leading the 2010 Packers to a Super Bowl championship and great 2011 season – 45 TDs, 6 interceptions, 122.5 passer rating and a 15-1 record for the Packers. Rodgers has a strong case to be No. 1, but Brady’s five Super Bowls gave him the edge.

3. Drew Brees, Saints: Perhaps the NFL’s most important player to a franchise, and a passing machine. He set the one-season record for yards last year with 5,476. It was his second 5,000-yard season. Take nothing away from Brees, but I like Brady and Rodgers more.

4. Eli Manning, Giants: He’s 2-for-2 in Super Bowl appearances, and both times beat the Patriots on Giants teams that had a lesser record – 10-6 in 2007 and 9-7 last year, when they beat the Cowboys in the last game to make the playoffs. Playing at home is no real advantage for teams playing the Giants. Eli’s coming – and winning on the road. No more questions about his toughness or ability to lead. He’s Peyton’s little brother only in age.

5. Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers: He isn’t a picture-perfect passer, but he stands up to the pass rush, takes a beating and wins games. However, at 30 and going into his ninth season, there’s a real question of whether his best days are behind him. He had 21 TD passes against 14 interceptions last year and did not play well in the playoff loss at Denver.

6. Peyton Manning, Broncos: After not missing a game for 13 seasons with the Colts, he missed all of last season because of a neck injury. That ended his stay in Indy, and he signed with Denver after being released. Peyton is still one of the NFL’s most dynamic figures, but a huge question hovers over him. The 2012 season will be a great story in Denver, but will it be a great season?

7. Philip Rivers, Chargers: All six quarterbacks ranked ahead of him have played in at least one Super Bowl and won at least one championship. The Chargers have been the NFL’s biggest under achievers, and 2011 was one of Rivers’ worst seasons – 27 TDs, 20 interceptions, 88.7 rating and out of the playoffs. I can’t argue with anyone who rates him lower.

8. Joe Flacco, Ravens: I might not pick him this high if I had to draft the eighth QB for a fantasy league, but Flacco plays his role in making the Ravens a consistent playoff team. They’d have beaten the Patriots in the AFC Championship last season if Lee Evans hadn’t dropped a perfectly thrown pass in the end zone. Flacco delivered in the clutch.

9. Matthew Stafford, Lions: In the next couple of years, we easily could be talking about Stafford in the top five – at least. All he needs is time. His passing ability is obvious, and he has the intangibles that aren’t as readily apparent. The NFL has a lot of outstanding quarterbacks, and Stafford is one of them – and better than most of them.

10. Cam Newton, Panthers: He’s a great athlete, and that’s often a qualifying knock against quarterbacks. Not with Newton. His athleticism enhances his ability rather than overshadowing his weaknesses. His rookie season was one for the ages – 21 TD passes against 17 interceptions, 14 rushing TDs, 51 rushing first downs – and only five fumbles, despite having the ball that much.

11. Michael Vick, Eagles: Last season was a mess for Vick and the Eagles. There was too much hype, too much talk, and too many hard hits for Vick. He missed three games and had a down season – 18 TDs, 14 interceptions and only one rushing TD. One amazing stat for Vick: 21 TD passes in 2010 are his career high for a season.

12. Tony Romo, Cowboys: Playing in Dallas is a double-edged chainsaw for Romo. His big stats are taken for granted. His miscues are highlighted. His stats for the last six years are terrific – 149 TD passes, 80 interceptions – but the Cowboys have won only one playoff game. Right or wrong, most of that falls on the quarterback.

Others: Jay Cutler gets a lot of mention to be ranked among the best. He’s talented, but I don’t see it. When he went out for the last six games in 2011, the Bears were 7-3, and he had 13 TD passes and seven interceptions. The Bears built their record on Matt Forte’s running and the defense. Matt Ryan of the Falcons has had good stats in four seasons, but he hasn’t won a playoff game, despite the running presence of Michael Turner.

The 49ers are coming off a big year, but they plainly were hoping to land Peyton Manning. That doesn’t say much for their confidence in Alex Smith. Matt Schaub has had good stats in Houston, but there’s nothing about his game that excites me. And the Texans made the playoffs for the first time ever with him on injured reserve the last six games. Rookies Andrew Luck of the Colts and Robert Griffin III of the Redskins – drafted 1-2 this year – are young guns to watch. They have to throw at least one pass before making anyone’s top 10.

If you go by last year only, Stafford has to be higher than this. However, I understand why Flacco and the others are ahead of Stafford here. Those guys have been to the playoffs multiple times, have won playoff games, and haven't spent two of the last three years on IR. Lots of folks still have doubts about Stafford's ability to play 16 games.

If he plays as well in 2012 as he did last year, I'm confident that Stafford will be in the top 5 on most of these QB rankings a year from now. Personally, I'd take Stafford over Roethlisberger, Flacco, Rivers, or Eli Manning right now but I understand why others wouldn't.

_________________Proud member of the Contract Extension for Schwartz Fan Club.

July 27th, 2012, 9:09 am

m2karateman

RIP Killer

Joined: October 20th, 2004, 4:16 pmPosts: 10408Location: Where ever I'm at now

Re: O'Hara on Matthew Stafford

mwill2 wrote:

If you go by last year only, Stafford has to be higher than this. However, I understand why Flacco and the others are ahead of Stafford here. Those guys have been to the playoffs multiple times, have won playoff games, and haven't spent two of the last three years on IR. Lots of folks still have doubts about Stafford's ability to play 16 games.

If he plays as well in 2012 as he did last year, I'm confident that Stafford will be in the top 5 on most of these QB rankings a year from now. Personally, I'd take Stafford over Roethlisberger, Flacco, Rivers, or Eli Manning right now but I understand why others wouldn't.

Well stated, and I agree 100%. Stafford had one really, really good season. But he still has to prove his durability, and his consistency.

_________________I will not put on blinders when it comes to our QBs performances.

July 27th, 2012, 10:23 am

conversion02

RIP Killer

Joined: January 26th, 2005, 9:34 pmPosts: 10863Location: Sycamore, IL

Re: O'Hara on Matthew Stafford

Why should flacco be higher? He had 1, borderline 2, good year(s). Same with Cam. Rivers has been awful without a good defense, excellent RBs, and a beast at WR and TE. Yeah, that's a hell of a lot he's lost in the past couple years, but its all about production, and rivers isn't getting it done.

Having Staff that low is an injustice.

______________________Draft defense - CB, LB, DT, LB...WR/KR

July 28th, 2012, 12:57 am

thelomasbrowns

Player of the Year - Offense

Joined: August 24th, 2010, 9:54 pmPosts: 2855

Re: O'Hara on Matthew Stafford

Quote:

Tim Twentyman@ttwentyman I don't think Matthew Stafford has thrown an incomplete pass all practice. He's working like a surgeon.27 Jul 12

Quote:

Lions RapidReports@CBSSportsNFLDET Matthew Stafford picking up where he left off last season. Pinpoint control in drills. He and CJ appear to be of 1 mind27 Jul 12

Quote:

Anwar Richardson@AnwarRichardson About to state the obvious. #Lions QB Matthew Stafford is so accurate and Calvin Johnson is ridiculous. Carry on.

_________________"Good teams don't worry about a whole lot of stuff. They travel, they play, they win. And it doesn't matter where they go, what the time block is, all those kinds of things. They never seem to bother teams that play well, and we want to be one of those teams." -Jim Caldwell

July 28th, 2012, 8:05 am

kdsberman

League MVP

Joined: February 20th, 2007, 10:51 pmPosts: 3527Location: Saginaw, MI

Re: O'Hara on Matthew Stafford

The thing that bothers me is that when guys talk about Stafford, they like to say "id like to see more of him before I can rate him this high". But then they talk SOO much about Newton, and hes only played ONE YEAR. Why on earth dont they wanna see more from HIM too??

July 29th, 2012, 2:05 pm

LionsAllDay

National Champion

Joined: July 3rd, 2012, 2:06 amPosts: 885

Re: O'Hara on Matthew Stafford

kdsberman wrote:

The thing that bothers me is that when guys talk about Stafford, they like to say "id like to see more of him before I can rate him this high". But then they talk SOO much about Newton, and hes only played ONE YEAR. Why on earth dont they wanna see more from HIM too??

Because the media hates Detroit. If he played for New York or another city like that he would've made the PB with no problem last year. This all correlates with all the BS the refs give the Lions every year.

_________________

July 29th, 2012, 2:30 pm

The Legend

Team President - Rod Wood

Joined: February 11th, 2005, 3:01 pmPosts: 4886Location: WSU

Re: O'Hara on Matthew Stafford

one thing that blows my mind is how unfairly the playoff game vs the Saints was refereed when the NFL was investigating the Saints bounty program at the time. We didnt know it then but the league did...